Which should I choose?

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mjr

mjr

ADD -- blessing and curse
If you were choosing a Strat style guitar, which would you choose, and why?

1. HSS configuration with roseacre (dark) fretboard
2. SSS configuration with maple fretboard

Keep in mind I have the following electric guitars already:

1. "Crate" Electra Strat-style electric, in a HSS config with the dark fretboard
2. Fender telecaster (2 single coils) with a maple fretboard
3. Gibson LPJ with dual humbuckers

I'm considering "replacing" my Strat-Style Crate Electra with another one, and I'm thinking about these two configurations. They're comparably priced.
 
The best way is to have a guitar that fits comfortably in your hands. Have it set up properly so it plays correct. String over the pickup pins. String height. Nut action height (lower/cut the nut). Pickup type. Intonation. Any neck crooks can be clamped and relaxed and retrussed.

My Stratocaster is SSS. Single has more bite with less chunk. A guitar should last a lifetime.

Line up the strings spacing like so

20210325_101225-jpg.109077
20210325_112227-jpg.109080

Not like this
screenshot-2021-03-18-185115-jpg.108894
 
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My Strat is an SSS with maple fretboard. I had a Les Paul but fell in love with the Strat's clarity and more musical tones. I miss the LP, but I'd miss my Strat more.
 
Then find ADA amplifiers from 80's-1996 ( Mr Big. Winger. White Lion. Babylon. etc.)

or CAE 3+ from 80's-1991 ( Van Halen ForUnlawfulCarnalKnowledge, to Greenday Dookie)
 
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I have two, a Fender Strat and a G&L Legacy. Both are SSS with maple fretboards. Likewise for my Melancon T and ASAT. I have rosewood and ebony on my 24.5" guitars.
 
G&L make excellent guitars. Yeah, don't buy cheap. Get something nice. Something you can be proud of.

Wire it up to take advantage of electonics. 2 humbuckers work well with Jimmy Page wiring LP style or Fat Five on Superswitch( 21 sounds). SSS Has great options phase/tone defeat/series parallel, etc.
 
Gonna throw this out there, on your quest for a better guitar..

Instead of the normal subtractive tone knob. Use a push pull, to make a variable half out of phase circuit. In the down position its a normal tone control. Knob up, it is variable half out of phase. This VHOP control works better in some instances than a tone knob, for tones. The blending effect adjusts the tone with phase making it brighter.
 
I have a PRS Silver Sky and have fallen in love with it.
Am seriously looking at the PRS Fiore for that Humbucker bridge goodness.
 
My main two electrics are an HH and a SSS and I use both and they cover a lot of ground. You can split the coil of an HSS but it won't have the same sparkle of a SSS. That said if I was limited to one guitar I might be inclined to use an HSS to get both the H and S voicings.
 
If you already have a guitar with humbuckers, I'd get the SSS personally.
 
So the bridge pickup on the SSS does not have a tone control(the tone knobs work on the middle and neck pickups only) and is VERY bright. It is not used very often on it's own because of these characteristics. I have SSS, two SSD and a DD and though I love the SSS sound I almost never use the bridge pickup by itself and when I do I tend to lower the volume to reduce the spikey-ness to something useful. YMMV. I like to have a coil tapped humbucker in the bridge position because it is more versatile and when in single coil mode is not as spiky as a single strat pickup .
 
Gtoboy said:
So the bridge pickup on the SSS does not have a tone control(the tone knobs work on the middle and neck pickups only) and is VERY bright. It is not used very often on it's own because of these characteristics. I have SSS, two SSD and a DD and though I love the SSS sound I almost never use the bridge pickup by itself and when I do I tend to lower the volume to reduce the spikey-ness to something useful. YMMV. I like to have a coil tapped humbucker in the bridge position because it is more versatile and when in single coil mode is not as spiky as a single strat pickup .
Click to expand...

This is funny, because it points out exactly why there is no real answer to this question as EVERYONE has different taste. I personally would ONLY use the Bridge pickup and I'd not mind if there was no tone control, because I wouldn't use it anyhow... ALL UP! Bright as possible. I hate and would never use a Neck pickup/tone rolled off sound. Heh.
 
mjr said:
If you were choosing a Strat style guitar, which would you choose, and why?

1. HSS configuration with roseacre (dark) fretboard
2. SSS configuration with maple fretboard
Click to expand...
I have a single humbucker (bridge position) strat with rosewood fretboard and an SSS strat with maple. Personally, I vastly prefer the SSS even though the humbucker one has a coil-tap for single coil mode. The SSS can cover more ground and is much clearer when used with fuzz pedals. Sounds "great" for my ears and the style I play. I can't really use the humbucker strat. Also, a maple neck feels a lot better to me.

It really is all personal preference.
 
Ujn Hunter said:
This is funny, because it points out exactly why there is no real answer to this question as EVERYONE has different taste. I personally would ONLY use the Bridge pickup and I'd not mind if there was no tone control, because I wouldn't use it anyhow... ALL UP! Bright as possible. I hate and would never use a Neck pickup/tone rolled off sound. Heh.
Click to expand...
whereas I only roll off the tone on a bridge pickup never on a neck.
 
Why would you pick a personal instrument based on other people’s choice. You don’t even do that in a restaurant. Opinions are great to confirm you made sensible choices, but having had a strat or three all I want from them is a comfortable neck and a trem that keeps in tune and doesn’t creak.
 
Usually the Bridge has no tone. Wiring..Is it TBX?

Screenshot 2022-07-27 110347.webp
 
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